There is a 90 per cent probability that the climate changes being seen around the world are the result of human causes, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The BBC has reported that the IPCC will take a much stronger position on climate change when it presents its next major report on Friday.
It should the final nail in the coffin of the global warming denialists, but from the rantings I’ve received in the past 48 hours I suspect they will still be screaming “nothing has changed” as the seas first cover their knees, then their chests and finally their necks.
The main sticking point for the final report is over just that - predicted rises in sea levels.
Some scientists prefer a more conservative prediction of sea levels rising by half a metre over the next century - a prediction that excludes melting ice caps - or more pessimistic predictions that would included estimates of the amount of water that could be released by the ice caps.
But even a 50cm rise in sea levels over 100 years will be catastrophic, even without the accompanying rise in global temperatures (between 2 and 4.5C) and changes in weather patterns.
So, now that the IPCC, the organisation that represents the “gold standard” in climate change, has put human causes at 90 per cent probability, can we please start taking action now? Waiting another 100, 50, 10 or even five years should clearly not be an option.
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